In a statement, FEPONS says that weather conditions will remain favourable for much longer and the end of the bathing season implies, according to Portuguese legislation, the end of assistance to bathers.

FEPONS argues that the beaches “should be monitored throughout the year, through a safety device different from the bathing season, as data from the last years of the Drowning Observatory show that there is death in the aquatic environment on bathing beaches, during all months of the year”.

Therefore, it appeals to the political class to urgently review the sector's legislation.

The Federation indicates that of the 73 beaches that will be without lifeguards on Thursday, five are in the north, 40 in the centre, 21 in the Tagus and West zones, three in the Alentejo and four in the Azores.

Of these, 63 are river and lake beaches, four in the north, 40 in the centre and 19 in the Tagus and West zones. Ten are sea beaches: one in the north, three in the Tagus and West zones, three in the Alentejo and four in the Azores.

According to data released by FEPONS in early August, Portugal had this year, until July 31, 88 deaths in the aquatic environment, a record for the last five years.

This is the highest figure for the first seven months of the year since the FEPONS Drowning Observatory started to gather statistics in 2017, the federation said.

According to the Federation, 35 deaths occurred at sea and 31 in rivers, with eight deaths in wells, six in dams and three in domestic swimming pools.